Lesson Of The MonthCreating And Modifying Soft Light Indoors

Soft light is created when
a light source (sun, light bulb) becomes diffused. Because diffused
light renders people and objects in smooth tonal transitions, it works
very well when taking portraits. Soft light is often present indoors
where the ambient light of the sky comes in through a room window. Window
lighting can make for great portraits, particularly when the walls are
bright enough to reflect back into the subject for a fill light.

2

Window light, however, is photographically
limited in a few ways. Oftentimes, there is not enough of this ambient
light for a decent camera exposure. And because window light is both unmovable
and dependent on the position of the sun, it is difficult to modify or
control.

This lesson demonstrates how
to create and modify portable soft light for custom indoor portraits.
In preparation for the shoot, we brought a hair/makeup stylist on location
to style our 15-year-old model, Angela. It's important to have someone
who functions as a stylist on the set of a portrait shoot. While you are
focusing on lighting, camera settings, and getting your subject to interact
with the camera, a good stylist focuses on the details of the shot. They
will watch for stray hairs, bunched clothing, positioning of props and
elements in the background.

Our shot concept was to capture
Angela as though we had just come upon her working on her laptop in her
room. This simple bedroom worked as an ideal portrait spot (#1 and #2).

3

As our stylist worked on making
Angela's clothing, hair, and makeup, we went about setting up the lighting
equipment for the room. To start, we set up a small Photoflex Starlite
Kit to be used as our main light. This diffused light source would serve
as our "window light."

Once Angela was prepped, our
stylist brought her into the bedroom. I set up the tripod and mounted
an Olympus E-10 digital camera to it in the vertical position. For comparative
purposes, I took a shot with the built-in flash of the camera activated.
Notice that while the flash helps to fill in the shadows cast from the
window light of the room, it also flattens out our model's features and
casts sharp shadows from her arms (#3).

4

We attached the front diffusion
face to the SilverDome and connected the Starlite body to a Photoflex
Litestand with casters attached. (The casters help to make subtle positional
adjustments to a Litestand.) I switched on the Starlite and positioned
the unit slightly to the right of Angela to render subtle shadows across
her face. The stylist added a laptop and cell phone to the set as fitting
props for a teen-age girl. Props like these are good to use in portraits
so long as they don't draw the viewer's attention away from the subject.

5

I set the aperture to f/8,
set the shutter speed to 1/60 of a sec, and took a shot. I then set the
camera to playback, and reviewed the exposure of the image on the LCD
(#4 and #5). (One of the advantages to shooting digitally is that you
can always ensure a good exposure on the spot thanks to the LCD.)

The resulting shot was greatly
improved from the built-in flash shot. The SilverDome had created a sense
of dimension, yet still provided a soft, wraparound light. This setup
also lightened up Angela's eyes considerably.

6

Next, we wanted to add a reflective
Litedisc to bounce light into the shadow side of Angela's face and body.
We attached a 42" soft gold/white Litedisc to a Litedisc holder, secured
it to a Litestand with casters, and positioned it to the left of Angela.
Keeping the same camera settings, I took #6 and #7.

7

The Litedisc worked well to
fill in the shadows, but now the shot seemed to lack contrast. We decided
to add another SilverDome overhead to create separation from the background.
We set up another small SilverDome, secured it to a Photoflex Boom and
Litestand, and positioned it over Angela's head. Without changing the
camera settings, I took #8 and #9.

8

Though the result shows improved
lighting on our model, the light from overhead has now brightened the
background, again minimizing contrast. To keep this overhead light more
directional, I attached a set of grids to the face of the box. This accessory
helped keep the background from being hit, while maintaining a soft light
on the subject (#10).

9

Reviewing our final result,
we see a soft, yet directionally lit subject who is set forward from a
slightly darker, patterned background. Notice the dramatic difference
between the first shot with the built-in flash and our final shots (#11
and #12).

10

This lesson will be posted
in the free public section of the Web Photo School at: www.webphotoschool.com.
You will be able to enlarge the photos from thumbnails. If you would like
to continue your digital step by step education lessons on editing, printing,
and e-mailing your photos it will be on the private section of the Web
Photo School.